Dart Container Joins LA River Cleanup for Earth Day

On Saturday, April 22, employees at Dart Container’s Corona, CA facility celebrated Earth Day by volunteering for The Annual Great LA River Cleanup. Along with friends and family members, Dart employees joined hundreds of volunteers to clean up litter and debris in the river. This is the eighth year in a row that Dart employees have participated in the event.

Hosted by the Friends of the LA River (FoLAR), the cleanup is a three-day event at 14 different sites along the river. FoLAR started the Great LA River Cleanup 28 years ago with just 10 volunteers. The event has since expanded to include thousands of people, and in the first two weekends of the event, volunteers removed an estimated 96 tons of trash from the river.

“Participating in the Great LA River Cleanup was a great way for our employees, friends, and family to celebrate Earth Day,” said Michael Westerfield, Director of Recycling for Dart Container, in a recent press release. “We’re dedicated to keeping our environment beautiful and proud to volunteer our time for the Los Angeles River Cleanup.”

Dart Container, the largest manufacturer of expanded polystyrene foam products (notably coffee cups, clamshell takeout containers, trays, and plates), brought their own unique recycling message to the event. Dart employees educated volunteers about how they can recycle their foam products.

It’s a common misconception that foam is not recyclable, but that simply is not the case. Polystyrene foam is recycled in communities across the country, including through the residential curbside recycling program in Los Angeles. Through proper recycling methods, polystyrene foam can be remade into common consumer products like picture frames, crown molding, garden nursery trays, rulers, and ballpoint pens.